Undergarments, women, Victorian

Puma · Mar 11, 2009

What did well-off English women (London) wear under their outer clothes in the later Victorian period - knickers and camisoles, bustiers, corsets, petticoats (more like modern slips), or ...? I'm assuming hose would have been attached by straps to corsets by then, so did they all wear corsets? Any help appreciated. Puma

Zelenka · Mar 11, 2009

I was recently watching a series where modern folks were sent to live as Victorian / Edwardians would, and one of the things they went on about was the underwear - the knickers were crotchless, almost just tied on, with stockings then held up by garters. The woman being dressed up in the outfit remarked on how, with the corset and vest up top, everything above the waist was so tightly bound up and yet the rest felt really loose.

Not sure if that's any help, sorry.

DeleyanLee · Mar 11, 2009

Sorry I can't find the site I had marked that would answer your question, but here's some happy hunting for Victorian references:

http://lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~matsuoka/Victorian.html

san_remo_ave · Mar 11, 2009

Hi Puma,

Here are a couple of interesting links

This is a simple step-by-step dressing guide for Victorian era, beginning with the chemise:
http://www.victoriana.com/library/Dressing/1858-62.htm

Don't forget about the crinoline (I cannot even imagine dealing with this contraption any more than 18th c paniers...) http://www.victoriana.com/Victorian-Fashion/crinoline.htm

A discussion on Queen Vic's knickers:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19960121/ai_n9639514

http://www.fashion-era.com/undergarments.htm (Depending on your time, you might look into the bustle instead of the crinoline)

Puma · Mar 11, 2009

Thank you, everyone. San remo ave - those articles were very interesting - informative. Thank you very much for linking them for me. What I was thinking about was the slender style of the late Victorian and one of the article covered that. Now I have something to work with. I appreciate all your help. Puma

pdr · Mar 11, 2009

Get hold of...

a copy of 'Period Piece' by Gwen Raverat. She was Darwin's granddaughter. Penguin used to publish it. Amazon have it.

There is a wonderful passage where she peeps at her cousin undressing.
Being female she details a lot of what they wore.
And five petticoats was the norm!

Puma · Mar 12, 2009

Thanks, pdr. I've learned a lot about women in the days of our grandmothers (well, at least mine). Some a bit surprising, some not so much so - but all interesting. Puma

PastMidnight · Mar 13, 2009

That same passage pdr mentioned is also included in Judith Flanders' The Victorian House. I happened to be flipping through that chapter yesterday!

Puma · Mar 13, 2009

Thanks PastMidnight.

blshgh · Jul 16, 2009

Undergarments, women, victorian

I like two piece suits. Micro Bikinis, Mesh Bikinis are very popular in swimsuits. I like most Mesh bikini.

Puma · Jul 16, 2009

Excuse me, blshgh - I don't think they had micro bikinis in the Victorian period. Puma

History_Chick · Jul 16, 2009

PastMidnight said:
That same passage pdr mentioned is also included in Judith Flanders' The Victorian House. I happened to be flipping through that chapter yesterday!

I enjoyed Victorian House, a lot of good info.

What time period are you writing in? Just curious

Puma · Jul 16, 2009

Later Victorian - 1885.

Saint Fool · Jul 23, 2009

Looks like they've got you covered (so to speak) but I'll throw in two reference sources.

The History of Underclothes - Willett/Cunnington, Dover Press 1992. Underwear from medieval times to 1939. (it's a reprint from a London edition published in 1951.)

There are also reproductions of Bloomingdales and Sears-Roebuck catalogues that I've found to be helpful.

Dover has a series of books on fashion and dress. They also do lovely paper dolls from various periods.

PastMidnight · Jul 23, 2009

Saint Fool said:
There are also reproductions of Bloomingdales and Sears-Roebuck catalogues that I've found to be helpful.

Good call. Nice resources! But do the ones in print go back that far? The Sears reprint I have only goes back as far as, I think, 1909.

pdr · Jul 23, 2009

Invaluable!

I do really find all the books on clothes by C. Willett Cunnington invaluable. He and his wife actually had a vast collection of clothes, shoes etc and I believe their stuff is in a museum near Manchester. They wrote and illustrated a series of books covering each century and included notes on hair style, beards, handkerchiefs, scarves, lace etc. The only recent publications coming near them in detail are the ones from the Victoria and Albert Museum on the clothes and underclothes in the V&A collection. I recommend 'Corsets' if you want to understand what your females suffered.

Saint Fool · Jul 24, 2009

PastMidnight - Amazon has an 1897 Sears catalog. My Bloomingdales repro is from 1886. Another suggestion is Janet Arnold's series, Patterns of Fashion. Although they are geared for the costume designer, great source on construction.

Undergarments, women, Victorian

Puma

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Zelenka

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DeleyanLee

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san_remo_ave

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Puma

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pdr

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PastMidnight

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Puma

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blshgh

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Puma

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